Jockey April Boag, right, on Brought to Justice explodes out of the gate with the other horses ond jockeys to kick off opening day of the Los Alamitos Summer Thoroughbred Festival at the Los Alamitos Race Course on Thursday, July 3, 2014. The daytime thoroughbred races run Thursdays through Sundays until July 13. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze)

Horses pull into the final stretch in front of a good sized crowd on opening day of the Los Alamitos Summer Thoroughbred Festival at the Los Alamitos Race Course on Thursday, July 3, 2014. The daytime thoroughbred races run Thursdays through Sundays until July 13. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze)

Back in December, after Shared Belief had waltzed to a 5 3/4-length victory over 11 rivals in the $750,000 CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park, the gelded son of Candy Ride was the toast of the Southland racing circles.

California Chrome was still three months away from winning his first graded stakes race, and few outside of California had even heard of the colt that would go on to give us all such a thrill during a ride that left him one victory shy of becoming the sport’s 12th Triple Crown champion.

But horse racing, as exhilarating as it can be at times, often can be just as deflating. One minute you’re living on the moon and then you’re in the outhouse the next. Fickle is the sport’s middle name.

Exhibit A: Shortly after Shared Belief’s victory in Hollywood Park’s final Grade I race, he developed an abscess on his front right foot that at first was believed to be minor but took longer to heal than initially anticipated. The injury knocked him off the Triple Crown trail because as trainer Jerry Hollendorfer explained then, “We have a very sound horse except for the foot that we’re working on, so if we can get that behind us then I think we’ll show up later in the year. If we can be around at the end of the year we’d be just as happy as the beginning of the year.”

The beginning of the rest of the year for Shared Belief came May 26 when he returned to the track and whipped four older rivals by 4 1/4 lengths at Golden Gate Fields, running the six furlongs in a solid 1:09.78 with Russell Baze aboard.

Baze, North America’s all-time winningest jockey, was impressed.

“Wow, what a nice horse,” Baze said immediately after the race. “It was a nice bunch of older horses and he did it well within himself. He was blowing a little bit after the wire, but after going 1:09 and change on this track, he should have been. He’s extremely talented and very athletic. Obviously, he’s got a very bright future. He’s a blast to ride.”

Said Hollendorfer after the race: “He was supposed to run well because he is a good horse.”

Now comes the more difficult part – facing graded-stakes company again after missing so much time. If the victory up north was any indication, the Eclipse Award winner as top 2-year-old male of 2013 hasn’t lost a beat.

Shared Belief, unbeaten in four races that he’s won by a combined 24 3/4 lengths, is scheduled to face six rivals in Saturday’s $500,000 Grade II Los Alamitos Derby at 1 1/8 miles. Among those six is Candy Boy, who showed considerable promise this spring before finishing a troubled 13th in the Kentucky Derby.

As talented as Shared Belief is, there are still some naysayers out there. All four of his victories have come over synthetic tracks and he’ll be racing on dirt for the first time Saturday. One prominent trainer predicted he wouldn’t be the same horse on dirt after he won the CashCall Futurity.

Shared Belief will have his fourth different jockey aboard for the Los Alamitos Derby, formerly known as the Swaps Stakes when run at Hollywood Park. Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith has the assignment after Baze, Corey Nakatani and Juan Hernandez rode the gelding to previous victories.

“He’s a big money jockey and he’s wanted a chance to ride this horse,” Hollendorfer said of Smith.

The Los Alamitos Derby is the first leg in the $1 million Bolton Challenge, meaning the winner of the race is eligible for a seven-figure bonus if they also win the Pacific Classic on Aug. 24 at Del Mar and the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita Park.

The bonus is sponsored by the Los Alamitos Racing Association and the California-based insurance brokerage firm Bolton and Company.

“He’s doing fine,” Hollendorfer said of Shared Belief, who arrived at Los Alamitos on Wednesday and was scheduled to gallop over the track Thursday.

Hollendorfer also entered Tonito M. in the Derby. A Rock Hard Ten colt, Tonito M. is winless in two starts in the U.S. after winning six of seven in Puerto Rico, including four group races. Victor Espinoza will ride.

Candy Boy, who won the Grade II Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 8, will be ridden for the first time by Santa Anita riding champion Joe Talamo.

The Los Alamitos Derby will be the eighth race on a nine-race program.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.